Book-holder.



H. M. RIDALL.

BOOK HOLDER.

APPLlVcATIoN FILED JAN. 7. i915.

1,21 9,777. Y Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

inn sns nanna ernten.

HARRY M. RIDALL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR TG GrAYlIIORlDA BROS., OF

SYRACUSE, NEWv YORK, A PARTNERSHI? COMPOSED 0F "WILLIS E. G-.AYLORD AND HENRY J'. GAYLORD.

BOK-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

yatented Mar. 2i), i917.

ticularly in public libraries and other places for retaining magazines and other periodicals against malicious removal and at the same time permitting free access to all4 of its pages in the usual manner.

Another object is to enable the devicev to be adjusted and automatically locked inits adjusted position in order that it may be used to holdbooks of diierent sizes.

A further object is to assemble the rela-A tivelyremovable parts in such manner as to permit them to be unlocked and released from their holding positions on the book only by the insertion of a suitable tool capable of prying those elements apart.-

A still further object is to provide each .of the relatively movable elements with apair of prongs capable of entering betweenthe leaves of the book at opposite ends thereof when adjusted for use, so as to positively hold the book against malicious removal without actually prying the relatively removable members apart and disengaging the prongs from between the leaves.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved book holder and a book held thereby, the latter being partly broken away to show the manner of inserting the prongs between the leaves.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged inner face view of the relatively adjustable members of the same holder exclusive of the cover.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through4 said holder taken on line 3 2, Fig. 2, portions of the cover and bok being shown by dotted lines.

As illustrated, this book holder comprises a pair of elongated flat bars -1- and 2- of thin spring metal of substantially the same width and slidable liatwise one upon the other, said bars being guided to move in parallelism and against accidental displace ment one from the other by means of headed studs -3- and two or more stop shoulders -i-, both of which elements -3- and Jlare secured to one of the bars -1- and are guided in an elongated slot -5- in the other bar -2-.

The length of the bar 1 is of approximately the same length as or slightly longer than the book which the holder is adapted to receive while the other bar -2- is relatively shorter and free to yield at its inner end, the outer ends of both bars being provided with end flanges -6- oE-set laterally to the same side of the holder approximately the same distance and at substantially right angles to the plane of the overlapping portions of the bars.

Each head or flange --6- of the holder is provided with a pair of thin flat prongs 7 rigidly secured at one end thereto and extending inwardly therefrom toward each other in parallel spaced relation and edgewise with reference to the flat overlapping portions of the bars, their inner ends being beveled to comparatively sharp edges -8--Y to permit them to enter readily between the leaves at opposite ends of the book without liability of mutilating such leaves or in any way straining the binding at the back of the book.

These prongs or spurs are spaced a short distance from the plane of the bars so as to enter between the leaves close to the back or binding of the book, thereby holding said back iirmly in close juxtaposition to the inner face of the bars without in any way obscuring the reading matter on the leaves. l The slot -5- extends nearly the full length of the bar 2- to aiford a limited range of adjustment for varying the dis-l tance between the end heads -G- of the holder according to the length of the book which it is to receive, but preferably terminates a shortl distance from the ends of said bar to form a stop shoulder 9 which coperates with one of the stop shoulders -4--- to lock the bars --1- and Q- in their adjusted position against extension when Aadjusted upon the back of a book as ln some instances, the holder' may be provided with covers -11- fiexibly united to la back-piece b-12- to which the bar #1- may be secured near its ends by rivets -13-, the width of the back-piece -12- and bars -1- and -2- corresponding approximately to the thickness of the book `through the slot -5-, the inner end thereof being enlarged to overlap upon the inner face of the bar -2- for retaining said bars in sliding engagement one upon the other.

The stop shoulders Llare spaced a distance apart corresponding to the standard differences in lengths of books and are lo cated some distance from the innermost stud or rivet -3- for interlocking engagement with the shoulder Q- on the adjacent end of the bar -2-, the distance between the shoulder -9- and inner end of the bar 2- being less than the distance between the shoulders 1 so as to enter between said shoulders when adjusted to a different position from that shown by full lines in the drawings.

The stop shoulders -Llare shown as stamped up from the body of the bar 1- and their inner faces are inclined toward the free end of the bar -2- to allow said free end to ride up said inclines and automatyically spring into interlocking engagement with the shoulders -4- when the bars -land 2M are being adjusted to insert their prongs -7- between the leaves in the operation of securing the book in place, it being understood that the stops -4 and heads 6M of the bars are adjusted so as to cause said heads to come into close proX- imity with the ends of the book when the shoulder -9- is interlocked with one or the other of the shoulders -L..

For example, in fastening a book in the holder, a suitable sharp-edge tool, specially prepared for this purpose but not shown,

may be inserted between the free end of the bar 2- and adjacent portion of the bar 1- and turned so as to pry the free end of the bar -2- out of interlocking engagement with the shoulders -lw to permit; the bars to be extended, as for example, by drawing the bar -2- endwise outwardly a suiiicient distance to permit the back of the book to rest upon the inner face of the bar 2- after the prongs of the bar 1- have been inserted between the leaves of the cor responding end of said book, whereupon the bar 2- may be returned inwardly along the bar 1- to force the prongs -7- thereof between the leaves of the corresponding end of the book, during which operation the free end of the bar Q will automatically spring into interlocking engagement with one or the other of the shoulders -tto hold the bars in their adjusted positions with the prongs -7- between the leaves of opposite ends of the book.

The tool or key, not shown, is in the possession of one of the attendants at the library or other place where the book is kept and is not available to any of the patrons, so that the book can only be removed from its holder by the insertion of the tool between the free end of the bar -2- and adjacent portion of the bar -1- for prying these portions of the bars apart a sumcient distance to disengage the bar -2- from the shoulders -4.-, whereupon the bar -2- may be withdrawn a suficient distance to disengage its prongs -7- from the leaves of the book, thus permitting the leaves of the book to be withdrawn from the bar 1 so that the same holder may be used repeatedly in securing successive or different periodicals.

What I claim is:

l. A book holder comprising relatively thin fiat bars resting flatwise one upon the other and relatively movable longitudinally, said bars being provided with separate prongs for entry between the leaves of opposite ends of the book, and means for automatically locking the bars in different posi tions of adjustment against relative movement in one direction and permitting their relative movement in the opposite direction.

2. 1n a book holder, a bar having means at one end for insertion between the leaves of the corresponding end of the book, another bar adjustable lengthwise of and upon the first named bar and also provided with means for entering between the leaves of the opposite end of the book, one of the bars having a plurality of stop shoulders spaced apart longitudinally thereof, the other bar being slotted to receive said stop shoulders and having a stop shoulder at one end of the slot for interlocking engagement with either of the first named stop shoulders.

3. In combination with a pair of book' stop shoulders spaced apart longitudinally thereof, the other bar being provided with a single stop shouldei` for interlocking engagement with either of the first named stop shoulders to hold the bars against being eX tended when adjusted upon the hook.

A. A book-holder comprising two bars slidable one upon the other, one of the bars having beveled teeth on the face adjacent the other bar to permit either bar to slide freely upon the other in one direction, and a stop shoulder upon said other bar for engaging said teeth and resisting such sliding movement in the opposite direction, and spurs on the outer ends of said bars pointing toward each other for entry between the leaves of a book.

5. A book-holder comprising two flat bars slidable one upon the other and relatively thin flat spurs on the outer ends of the bars projecting toward each other and arranged edgewise with reference to the main body of the flat bars.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of December, 1914. HARRY M. RlDALL. Witnesses:

RUBY B. ZEH, HARRIET E. EoKnL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. C.

Cin 

